Americae siue noui orbis, noua descriptio, Abraham Ortelius 1527-1598

Ortelius's map of the Americas was one of the most identifiable and most famous cartographic representations of the western hemisphere created during the Golden Age of Dutch Cartography. It enjoyed great popularity, since it was included in the numerous editions of Ortelius's Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. This revolutionary book of maps was first published in 1570. Although not entitled “atlas,” it is considered to be the first modern world atlas. Its publication marked the first time that a set of maps, contemporary to the date of publication, was designed, drawn, and engraved with the intention of publishing them in a bound volume.
Courtesy of Private Collection